An Act of Mercy
by NeonZangetsu
Summary: Commander Jane Shepard was known for many, many things. She preserved life even when it was uneccessary, made peace where she could. Three years of her life stood in stark testament to those facts. But will one choice, one act of mercy, bring everything crashing down? Contains spoilers for Mass Effect 3 and Citadel DLC! ShepardxLiara. Fluff, Language, humor.


**A/N: Alright ladies and gentlmen, good news and bad news. Good news first. I'm somewhat healed! I've been on an updating spree as of late, and finally had time to answer a request. ****I managed to put this up here at points between the ol' job hunting, and decided to take my very first stab at a pure Mass Effect fic, with a twist. Bad news is thus, that my poor uncle has passed on.**

**Here it is, and thank you all for your support in this hard time! Its been really hard coping with his dath; I knew him ever since I was little and the thought of him being gone like that...by his own hand no less...it makes me wonder if I really knew him at all. So once again, thank you for all the kind, encouraging words.**

**I love you guys so, soooo much! *Cries***

**I suppose I'm still writing on this site this as a result of his death, instead of drowning my woes in other...less savory means. My uncle never really had many friends, you see, and sometimes I wonder if just one would've changed that. It was either continue writing as always, or drown my sorrows in alchohol and violence. And, as much as a might enjoy the occasional beer, I'd much rather pour out my grief into something productive, that will hopefully make me feel better, rather than get drunk and angry. Now, without further adeu, with an idea hours in the making...**

**So I'll skip the introduction, but might I advise you all to leave your assumptions behind you! This...is going to be one helluva story. ****Still...I'm alive. Life's beaten the hell out of me...but I'm alive. And so is my imagination! Away we go!**

_"You. Are. Not. Me."_

_~?_

**Prologue**

Commander Jane Shepard was known for many, many things.

Veteran of Akuze, powerful biotic, a paragon who worked just as hard to save lives as she would end them. Saviour of the Citadel, the woman who'd sacrificed human lives to save the Destiny Ascension with the Council aboard. She'd saved countless lives and stopped terrible people from committing heinous acts. Whatever one might think of her, she'd done more good in your life than most people have ever dreamed. Any woman that accomplishes that deserves to be treated with respect.

She preserved life even when it was uneccessary, made peace where she could. Three years of her life stood in stark testament to those facts. She'd spared the rachni queen on Noveria, saved all the colonists on Feros, saved the Council when she could've just as easily left them to die during Saren's attack. Hell, she'd even convinced the turian bastard to shoot himself in the head, rather than suffer through Sovereign's influence. And all of this had been before her she'd met her first end with the Normandy in the cold abyss of space, slain by the Collectors.

Indeed, her career was a long and storied one even before her 'death' at the hands of those giant bugs and it had only grown since she'd returned from the void. Never one to take death lying down, she'd returned with a vengeance. But even when she'd worked with Cerberus, her methods hadn't changed. Her dislike for the organization aside, she'd swallowed the bile and gotten shit done. Hell, she'd even brought everyone back from the Suicide Mission, safe and sound. Then she'd told the Illusive Man to fuck right off and given him the afterburners.

Humanity's mightiest biotic had waltzed into the Collector Station and crushed one of her deadliest enemies in their own house, destroyed their base without so much as a backward glance. In the time since she'd made inummerable sacrifices in the line of duty. Literally. She'd blown up a Mass Relay, destroyed an entire system to prevent the reapers from pouring through, killing hundreds of thousands to save millions. Since that cruel day she'd killed the deadly Shadow Broker. Obliterated Project Overlord. Watched as the Reapers burned Earth. Helped to cure the Genophage. Indeed, Shepard was many things.

Cruel was not one of them.

Jane was a paragon through and through, a woman of character, morals, and principle. With each life lost she silently mourned. Never showing it on the outside. Ashley. Mordin. Thane. Those lives had been lost on her watch. Good men and woman, comrades, ripped away from her by fate and circumstance. First there was Virmire. Then Tuchanka. And, most recently, the strike on the Citadel. She'd loved Thane. She'd gladly tear Kai Leng in half for murdering him, then TIM for starting the whole debacle in the first place. But in alll else, she was merciful.

Therein lie the problem.

Now she was beginning to wonder whether there was such a thing as being "too kind" in this war. It had all started out so innocently, a little shore leave on the Citadel. Meeting Joker in some high end restaurant. Then came the attack. One thing led to another and thanks to a little lady named Maya Brooks, their idyllic shore leave swiftly morphed into an alll out fight for survival, complete with gunfire and explosions. And a clone. An actual, living speciest clone, who apparently wanted to take over her life.

Honestly, the only high point of the entire debacle was that a few old friends had returned to knock some heads together, if only this once. It had been well worth it to fight with Jack at her side again. Wrex, too. Three all powerful bioticis versus a squad of mercs, a prissy little bitch, and an arrogant clone? No contest.

With the treacherous Brooks now carted off the lockup, she was left with only one loose end, aside from the boxes of mixed cargo scattered about their hold. One currently shackled and bound and under the guard of a very pissed off Urdnot Wrex. Apparently, she'd thought it a good idea to shoot him in the face. Bad idea. Very bad idea.

"What's the matter, pyjack?" he rumbled, nudging the morose woman with a heel. "Nothing to say?"

She spat at him.

"I don't have anything to say to an overgrown lizard."

Wrex simply laughed. "You've got her fire, alright. But that's about it."

Shaking her head, the Spectre watched the goading continued; the krogan was clearly enjoying the opportunity to press all of her buttons in any way he could, however he could. Unfortunately, someone didn't seem to be quite so keen on

"Are we doing the right thing here, Shepard?"

Despite herself, the spectre almost groaned as a familiar figure sidled up beside her.

"Kaiden...

"Don't "Kaiden" me, ma'am. That thing's a clone. Of you! Do you have any idea the trouble it could cause if it got loose?"

"Then we'll deal with it." came the answer. "But I'm not going to kill her for something she might do. I won't let fear control me."

"You sure about this?"

Jane sighed softly to herself, biting back the instinctive urge to snap at him. The stress was beginning to wear on her these days. She didn't regret saving him back on Virmire. Not a once. But sometimes he could just be so goddamned stubborn! Thankfully, she didn't have to dwell on the matter long.

Across the hold, the clone had finally succeeding in pissing someone off.

"Ohhhh, that does it."

The Clone's reasoning was abruptly cut off with a strangled sound as her feet left the deck platings, Jack's fist wrapped around the woman's throat. Subject Zero's lips were curled back in a snarl and her eyes flashed in with anger. Her time with the kids had done much to dull that anger, but it was still there. Still bubbling just beneath the surface.

"You dont get to talk, _bitch."_

The Clone let out a strained gasp, trying to shove the smaller biotic off and way from herself but only earning another hard slam into the console for her trouble. Jane couldn't help but wince. Every instinct, years of doing everything she did for the galaxy, told her she should intervene. Instead she didn't move, listening as it spoke.

"Bite... me...

Wrong answer.

The response was as immediate as it was violent. Jack's hand gripped the neck of the clone's suit and jerked. With one savage movemen,t the blackette was lifted from the console and bodily thrown backwards. She slammed into closed doors with a dull thump followed by a groan of pain as she slumped forward onto her hands. Jack stalked up the two stairs to stand over the doppleganger one of her fists still glowing with biotic energy.

"We should space her, Shepard."

"No...don't," the clonce wheezed, trying to push herself to her feet. "I...can help..."

"Like hell you will!"

Jane nearly winced as Jack yanked the copy to her feet, eliciting a pained yell from the girl. She could see the muscles in the woman's neck flexing and her free hand rhythmically curled and uncurled into a fist. For the first time she was honestly afraid that she was going to do permanent damage to the other woman. Quickly she stepped forward, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Jack..."

She tensed but didn't otherwise react for a long moment. Finally the biotic glow flickered and died as she released the clone, letting the wounded woman catch herself on the wall. She didn't turn back to look at her-just ignoring its entire existence. Jane took that moment to approach.

"Are you done mouthing off?"

The Clone stared back at her with blank and glassy eyes, uncomprehending of her situation. She was her. And yet she wasn't. This Shepard was different in every way, had essentially left her for dead, fought her to the death, tried to claim her identity for herself. By all rights, she should've tossed this damned bitch out the airlock the first chance she'd gottten. And yet when the time came, Jand had dragged her back onto and into the Normandy instead of throwing her to her doom in the Citadel below. They were both scuffed and bleeding and felt like absolute shit, yet here they were.

"What are you going to do with me?" it asked. It. God, she almost couldn't bring herself to even think of this thing as a human being.

Shepard sighed, pushing a hand through her now shoulder-length raven locks. They'd been shorter _once_ a curtain of ebon tresses often kept up in a controlled bun. She'd cut them out of pure common sense six months back when the war first started, but she hadn't had the chance since. Now she was glad she hadn't. It allowed one to tell who was the orignal. The Clone-god it was weird calling her that-had short, chin length hair. She didn't have the memories of her, the genuine article. There were a few other minor differences; the clone stood a few inches shorter than she. Her face was leaner. But her eyes...they were the same. Green.

So strange.

"Throw her in the cargo bay."

Garrus snickered.

"Shepard, this _is_ the-

"One more word Vakerian and, I will _bite_ you."

"Ha!" Jack crowed.

She could only pray that this wouldn't come back and bite her in the ass...

**A/N: And there we go. Just what the hell is Shepard thinking, sparing the life of her clone? What changes will this lead to...? Who knows...**

**So...in the immortal words of Atlas and myelf...**

**...Would you Kindly Review this Story?**

_**R&R! =D**_


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